The Place were Rodeo Champions are Made

Cody Lambert

PRCA Career
Accomplishments

1980, '82, '83 NIRA S.W. Region All Around Champion	1980, '83 Saddle Bronc Champion
1982 NIRA All Around Champion	1983 Bull Riding Champion
1985, '87 Texas Circuit All Around Champ	1988 Coors-Chute-Out Bull Riding Champ
1981 15th Saddle Bronc $23,894	1985 14th All Around $76,822 7th Bulls $59,651
1986 13th Bulls $36,864	1988 7th Bulls $62,727
1989 14th All Around $59,502 8th Bulls $59,212	1990 5th All Around $89,911 9th Saddle Bronc $65,163
1991 9th All Around $69,974 15th Saddle Bronc $31,412 15th Bulls $49,193	1992 5th All Around $86,946 13th Bulls $53,840
1993 10th All Around $70,657 13th Bulls $56,794

JACK WARD, Odessa, won the World Champion Bareback title in 1977 and 1978

Toyah Taylor 1968 for Sul Ross at NMMU NIRA Rodeo, Roswell, NM

Now retired Professional Rodeo Clown of 15 years.

Other Professional Rodeo Clowns from Sul Ross:

Mike Pettit, Stubby Arnold, Tommy Sheffield, Tex Dulany

Let us take you back to the days of horned rim glasses, Pearl Harbor, and college rodeos earliest beginnings...

With World War II coming to an end, and college rodeo popularity on the rise, the need for a sanctioning body was upon us. At a meeting on November 6th, 1948, in Alpine, Texas, twelve schools came together to discuss the creation of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Decided at that meeting was the need for a constitution, which was then established at a second meeting held in February 1949.

Hank Finger, then Sul Ross State Universities Rodeo Club President and chairman of the constitutional committee, worked with that committee on developing eligibility guidelines, scholastic standards, and rodeo structure. The committee created a format for intercollegiate rodeo that would remain consistent throughout the country and provide national recognition for their constituents.

At the first NIRA National Convention on April 14-15, 1949, in Denver, Colorado, final approval of the constitution was granted, fees were accepted, and rules and regulations were finalized. Three regions were formed; Southern, Northwest, and Rocky Mountain. Pro-tem president Charles Rankin was elected NIRA president. There were thirteen member schools at this time, representing Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, and Texas.

August 1949 marked the official, legal birth of NIRA when they filed for non-profit status. The first College National Finals Rodeo was held the same year in San Francisco, California. The first NIRA All Around Champion crowned that year was Harley May of Sul Ross State University.

Sul Ross holds 61st NIRA

Sul Ross boasts nine national team championships, seven men’s and two women’s; and 24 individual event titles. The rodeo team won men’s championships in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1962, 1982 and 1983 and women’s crowns in 1962 and 1985.

Harley May, a member of the first three men’s championship teams, won eight national collegiate titles, three world championships in steer wrestling on the professional circuit and was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. He returned to coach the Sul Ross rodeo teams from 1994-98.

May won the all-around men’s championships from 1949-51; bareback riding in 1949; bull riding in 1949-50; and saddle bronc riding in 1950-51. Tex Martin (1953) and Cody Lambert (1982) also won men’s all-around titles, while Jo Gregory Knox,(1951), Elisabeth Prude Longbotham (1953) and Donna Saul (1962) claimed all-around women’s crowns.

Other Sul Ross national individual champions are: bull riders Johnny Ackel (1952), Ira Akers (1953), Martin (1954); and George Eads (1962); saddle bronc rider Don Lee Smith (1958); and Bill James, who tied for first in calf roping in 1961 and won team roping in 1962.

In women’s competition, Charlotte Martin (1954) and Saul (1962) won goat tying championships; Saul won calf tying in 1961; and Jayne Gentry won breakaway roping in 1985.

There were many Students from Sul Ross that entered the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association that there is not enough room on one site. The numbers of Sul Ross Rodeo Athletes that turned professional is staggering.

More names and faces will be added as I receive them.

I have contacted many or the great people that went on to be rodeo champions and other that supported the Rodeo Team at Sul Ross and they are sending me more stuff to put on the site.

View Toyah Rodeo Paintings

Tuff Hedeman

Jim Batman

Wins Rookie of the Year Honors RCA 1969

Clint Baber Sul Ross Rodeo Team '71

We need to rally support for the Rodeo Program at Sul Ross and bring it back to the level of excellence that was there when the Baby Boomer were attending school.

Hey, I found a Rodeo Stamp Art Collection, check it out, Click Here

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